


Eulogy

by Estel



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Gen, Post Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-17
Updated: 2013-05-17
Packaged: 2017-12-12 02:36:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/806181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estel/pseuds/Estel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[01x23 SPOILERS] Oliver contemplates his eulogy for his friend's funeral while the wound is still fresh.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eulogy

**Author's Note:**

> For me, this is my attempt at coping with Tommy's death. I tend to write fic about things when I just don't know what else to do.

The lawyers wanted to bury them together. It had been in Malcolm's will. Tommy's will wasn't too specific about location, but Oliver knew that it would have said "as far away from my dad as you can find" if he'd had the chance to amend it.

The lawyers were the last thing he wanted to deal with. Lawyers everywhere. The only acceptable lawyer at the moment was Laurel, but she was in no state to really fight for anyone. After everything, Ollie was just grateful to have her. Every moment spent with her reminded him of his unspoken vow to Tommy that he'd look after her. He'd have to learn to be an even better man than who he had been for her. It was the least he could do for the man that died to save her.

Every moment it felt like the world was falling in. Everything that had been certain since his return from the island was gone. Tommy was gone. His mom was in jail. Their house was constantly under siege by the media, making it nearly impossible to look after himself and Thea. Laurel was understandably devastated. The city was in shambles. The club was a wreck. The fallout seemed to blanket Oliver's life, both in and out of the hood. And now he had to see to it that his best friend's memory was honored appropriately.

Tommy was never the guy you'd expect to go out saving somebody else. Not once in their entire friendship did Ollie think that would be where he'd end up. Tommy was supposed to die a million years from today, on life support, with a dozen stripper angels carrying off to the great beyond. He was supposed to go with a smile on his face. But when the chips were down, it wasn't Oliver, the "hero" of the Glades, that died for what he believed in. It was Tommy. Dying for love. The thought winded Oliver every time it occurred to him.

The tricky part of grief when living a double life is keeping all the lies straight. He couldn't very well tell Laurel that Tommy didn't die alone, no matter how much he wanted to assure her. He couldn't explain that he felt his best friend slip away from him. That he pleaded for him to stay. So writing a eulogy was tricky.

_Tommy Merlyn was the best friend- brother- I could have ever asked for._ It all seemed so impersonal as he mulled it over. What could he say to do Tommy justice? _He was always the life of the party. He couldn't stand seeing people unhappy. I remember once, when we were probably about 17, Thea had ripped her favorite dress and was inconsolable. So Tommy- he scooped her up under his arm (because she was about 7 at the time) and dragged her outside and carried her all the way to the pond where about a dozen ducklings were swimming around behind their moms. It was like magic._

He could feel the memories swimming in his head, feeding the ache of Tommy's absence. It was nearly intolerable. "I can't do this," Ollie admitted to no one. Nothing was going to fill the void where he knew Tommy should have been, but if 炼狱 taught him anything, it was to never accept defeat.

Tommy would never have let Oliver give up. It was one of the best things about him. _"Come on, buddy"_ , he would have said. _"Suck it up. You’ve got things to do."_

He would have been right.

It didn’t make it easier.

**Author's Note:**

> 炼狱 - Liàn yù


End file.
